Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

[meganbmoore]

Set in 19th century China, this is the story of Lily, a girl of low birth who becomes a laotong, or “old same” with Snow Flower, a girl of higher birth. A laotong is a lifelong friend who is closer to you than anyone else, and two laotong seem to be essentially regarded as two parts of one person.

The book chronicles their love story (I find it

Comments

[vivacious_dan]

Wild Swans was THE most graphic description of foot binding I have ever read, within the first five pages too. I actually stopped reading the book. I couldn't get into Snow Flower. I didn't feel a connection with the main characters and found the writing style to be rather dry.

[meganbmoore]

I find See's subjects really interesting, but I wish her books didn't read so much like an educational lecture at times.

[wordsofastory]

I didn't like this book much, though admittedly it could be because it was sold to me as 'romance between two Chinese women!' and that's not really what it is. I also found it very hard to feel for the characters.

[meganbmoore]

I actually think See was restraining herself from that, though a lot of Lily's actions don't completely make sense unless she's viewed as a jealous lover, I think.

[wordsofastory]

Yeah, it seems to hover in a strange place between having the characters be actually, clearly lovers and not, and that put me off.

[meganbmoore]

Yes, and it's not so much "decide for yourself" as it is that it comes across as worrying that we'd read it that way.

[meganbmoore]

See seens tio deliberately write her characters to be unlikable, but without anything to really make up for it.